Power Engineering International articles from May 2008

Power Engineering International archives from May 2008

Variety is the spice of life.(UP/FRONT)
May 1, 2008... The development of the first combined-cycle gas turbine plants in the late 1980s early 1990s heralded a global boom in the construction of gas fired power plants. It resulted in a ten-year 'dash for gas' in the UK (gas currently accounts for...

Poland's power market: strengths and weaknesses: the liberalization of Poland's energy markets began more than ten years ago, and its electricity market, in particular, has been transformed in that time. With the country's energy regulator recently proposing further liberalization steps, Heather Johnstone takes a look at this evolving market. and sees that a number of issues still need to be addressed.(ANALYSIS)(Industry overview)
May 1, 2008... Last month Poland's energy regulatory office, the Urzad Regulacji Exergetyki (URE) put forward what it described as a roadmap, which outlined the next steps to be taken by the end of this year to continue the process of liberalizing the...

Power engineering international editorial calender 2008.(Calendar)
May 1, 2008... June Eastern Europe Market Nuclear Power Refurbishment & Repowering Coal Fired Power Plants Transmission Systems Advanced Coal Technology Wind Power Project Financing Auxiliary Plant Equipment ...

Bahrain.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Bahrain: Three wind turbines that are integrated into commercial property have begun delivering power. Bahrain World Trade Centre's two towers will receive 11-15 per cent of their electricity from the turbines of 29 metre diameter supplied by...

Ghana.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Ghana: A gas combined cycle power station will with a capacity of 200 MW will be running this year near port city Tema. The China-Africa Development Fund has financed the project with $143m. Plant capacity will rise to 560 MW in the future.

Kazakhstan.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Kazakhstan: China's second largest power generator Datang is to invest $860m in the building of three power plants: a 1320 MW thermal plant, a 36.8 MW hydro plant and a 50 MW wind farm. The company's investment in the country to date has been...

Morocco.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Morocco: A site near the city of Oujda will be the location for the world's first solar-thermal combined cycle power station. Its output when complete in 2009 will be 472 MW, some 20 MW of which will be from solar energy, and will provide up to...

Nigeria.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Nigeria: An ongoing probe by the government has continued to find abandoned power projects. The latest is the 520 MW Egbema scheme, awarded in 2006 and due to be completed in March this year. Although about 90 per cent of the contract value has...

Russia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Russia: GE is opening a sales, service and technology office in Moscow in response to what it says is a "great increase in demand for advanced energy technologies". The facility will house employees of GE Infrastructure.

Russia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Russia: Generator TGK-8 has awarded the E4 Group a $600m contract for the extension of the Krasnodar thermal power plant on condition that the works will be completed in 34 months. The extension will increase the plant's output to 410 MW.

Russia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Russia: Better plant management accounted for a record 155 TWh of output in 2007 from nuclear power stations, according to state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom. This is despite the country having built no new plants over the last 15...

Russia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Russia: Oil and gas company Rosneft is taking delivery of three SGT-800 gas gensets made by Siemens in an order worth more than [euro] 40m ($63ml- Petroleum gas byproduct from the Priobskoye oil field in Siberia will feed the 45 MW units whose...

Russia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Russia: Main electricity supplier RAO Unified Energy Systems is continuing to sell its generating companies. Chairman Anatoly Chubais said there was only one buyer for the four remaining firms, which it says it will sell by the middle of the...

Russia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Russia: A consortium led by local firm OJSC has won a contract to build the 800 MW power Unit 4 at the Perm plant for 16bn rubles ($680m). The plant, which has an installed capacity of 2.4 GW, is the main supplier of electricity to the Urals...

Saudi Arabia.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Saudi Arabia: The upgrade of Central province's PP8 plant from 1850 MW to 2330 MW will include performance monitoring solutions from Invensys Process Systems. The equipment will control the four new GE gas turbines that will make up the...

Serbia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Serbia: The government has said that it has failed to adopt a wide-ranging deal with Russia on energy cooperation. The agreement would have, among other things, secured Serbia's role as a transit country for a major gas pipeline from Russia to...

Turkey.(INTERNATIONAL)(Tetas)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Turkey: State-owned electricity company Tetas is accepting bids to build the first of the country's first three nuclear power plants, a 4 GW power station in Akkuyu near the port city of Mersin. Energy Minister Hilmi Guler has said that nuclear...

Uganda.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Uganda: Construction of the 200 MW Karuma hydroplant will begin in September, according to Energy Minister Daudi Migereko. The minister said that the country is studying how the power station's capacity can be increased.

Yemen.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Yemen: Iceland's Reykjavic Energy Invest (REI) is to lead a study into the possibility of geothermal generation at Lesi mountain in the Dhamarregion. REI will invest in the country's first geothermal power station there if the study shows that...

Bulgaria.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Bulgaria: Solar Energy Group and its Spanish partner Helium Energy are to build a 50 MW solar park in Pazardhik for $24m.

Denmark.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Denmark: Dong Energy aims to have a full-scale carbon capture and storage test plant ready in 2015. The plant may save the company $0.5bn by allowing it to sell C[O.sub.2] quotas from 2013.

Denmark.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Denmark: Dong Energy will bid for 200 MW Rodsand 2 offshore windfarm. It may also bid for two other offshore projects that have been included in a new government new energy agreement.

Estonia.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Estonia: Minister of Economic Affairs Juhan Parts has urged the country's parliament to make an initial decision about a proposed nuclear plant this year. Under International Atomic Energy Agency rules, the decision to build such a power...

France.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... France: Following the rejection by the government of EDF's proposal to raise the price of electricity for commercial customers by 25 per cent, the company has now learned that it will soon be unable to set tariffs.

France.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... France: Gas company GDF has stated that it aims to build 1 GW of wind projects in the country by 2012, a big rise from the 140 MW of wind it has already installed here.

Ireland.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Ireland: The Irish Wind energy Association says that up to [euro]6bn ($9.3bn) will be invested in wind over a decade in an effort to help meet the government's renewables target of producing one third of the country' total demand from green...

Ireland.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Ireland: Utility ESB aims to spend [euro]22bn ($34bn) to produce a third of its power from renewables by 2020. Of this, [euro]11bn will go into upgrading networks to be able to accept an expected surge in wind generated power, while [euro]6.5bn...

Italy.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Italy: A government initiative to encourage solar power has resulted in the installation of 100 MW of such capacity. Under the programme, generators of photovoltaic energy receive a premium for their power.

The Netherlands.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... The Netherlands: Repairs to the 700 MW cable that will be the first direct link from the country to Norway are complete. Cross-border trading of electricity via the interconnector should begin in May 2008.

The Netherlands.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The Netherlands: Utility Nuon is to build combined-cycle gas fired plants at two of its facilities as part of its strategy to modernize its generation infrastructure. The first will be a 500 MWe plant in Hemweg, the second a 500 MWe plant as...

Norway.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Norway: Carbon scrubbing at the Karsto gas fired plant will cost much more than expected, according to Stavanger University. Government estimates are Kr5bn ($1. bn).

Poland.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Poland: RWE Innogy has awarded Siemens a [euro]100m ($156m) contract to supply 33 turbines rated at 2.3 MW each for the Suwalki and Tychowo windfarms. The projects will come onstream in 2009.

Romania.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Romania: Power generator Termoelectrica commissioned Germany's E.ON and Italy's Enel to build an 800 MW coal-fired power station in Braila. Termoelectrica is also looking for investors in planned plants of capacities 700 MW and 900 MW in three...

Serbia.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Serbia: Power monopoly EPS has signed a protocol with Russia's Inter Rao to build generating capacity in the country.

Spain.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Spain: Tenerife island is to receive two GE Frame 6FA gas turbines and related equipment for the extension of its Granadilla combined cycle power plant. Under the [euro]90m ($141m) contract, the turbines will join two other Frame 6FA units at...

Spain.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Spain: Suez Group subsidiary Societe Hydro Electrique du Midi has inaugurated its La Verna hydroelectric plant in Sainte-Engrace. The dam is 700 metres in height and outputs 4 MW.

Ukraine.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Ukraine: Westinghouse of the US is to supply the country with a quarter of its annual demand for nuclear fuel in a five year deal that will begin in 2011.

UK.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... UK: Siemens is to build a $1.3bn, 850 MW combined-cycle power plant in Uskmouth at the site of a decommissioned coal fired plant by 2010. It will have an efficiency of 58 per cent and will comprise two SGT5-4000F gas turbines.

China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... China: J-Power is to invest around 5bn yen ($708m) to take a ten per cent stake in a coal fired power plant project in China's Jiangxi Province together with two local power companies. This will be J-Power's third power plant investment in...

China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... China: French energy management firm Dalkia Corporation has signed an agreement with Chonqing Changyang Heat Company to jointly invest in a 300 MW power plant in Chongqing, which is expected to cost in the region of RMB 3bn ($429m).

China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... China: Flour Corporation has been awarded a contract worth $ 1bn for EPCM services by LDK Solar Co. Ltd., for the world's largest new polysilicon facility in Xinyu City, Jiangxi, PRC, located adjacent to LDK Solar's existing solar wafer...

India.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... India: NTPC Ltd. and National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, have signed an MOU in New Delhi for cooperation in identifying potenliol new sites for establishing geothermal-based power projects in India.

India.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... India: Areva T&D India has received orders worth 4180m rupees ($103m) from M/s Essar Constructions (India) Limited for electrical balance of plant and equipment for Essar's power plant project in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

India.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... India: Toshiba is willing to invest around $200m in a joint venture in India to manufacture supercritical steam turbines for large coal fired power plants. Negotiations with Larson & Toubro over the JV are said to be at an advanced stage.

Indonesia.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Indonesia: Indonesia and Germany have pledged to work together to generate cleaner sources of energy that might involve nuclear and coal fired technology. Germany has also offered some [euro]24m$35.5m) for reforestation programmes in Indonesia...

Indonesia.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Indonesia: Indonesia's vice president has renewed calls for the stateowned power company PTN to speed up construction of coal fired power plants in a bid to swiftly resolve a power crisis affected Java.

Japan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Japan: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has developed a highly efficient household fuel cell system with a power generation efficiency ratio of 39 per cent, which it plans to market to domestic customers.

Laos.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Laos: French power utility EDF said that it had begun filling the 3.5bn [m.sup.3] reservoir that will supply the 1070 MW Nam Theun-2 hydroelectric power station in Laos in which it has a 35 per cent interest. The plant will supply both Laos and...

Laos.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Laos: Laos is planning to construct 29 new power plants towards its plan to export 8000 MW of electricity by 2020. So far, more than 130 companies have been granted licences to develop 200 electricity generating projects.

New Zealand.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... New Zealand: Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings, are favourites to buy the Wellington power grid in New Zealand from Vector Limited, the country's largest electricity and gas distributor, valued at around $ 1bn.

Pakistan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Pakistan: A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Karachi city government and Dubai's Dhabian Power Engineering Limited for the supply of four gas turbines with a combined capacity of 320 MW. The UAE government has pledged to...

Pakistan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Pakistan: Finnish power firm Wartsila has been awarded an EPC contract worth [euro]134m ($211 m) by independent power producer Nishat Power Ltd. for a 200 MW combined cycle power plant to be located near the city of Lahore.

Pakistan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Pakistan: Pakistan's national grid will be boosted by 6000 MW of additional capacity by 2010-2011 as a result of new power projects being undertaken by both private and public sectors, according to the managing director of the Pakistan Electric...

Philippines.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Philippines: Taiwanese firm Formosa Heavy Industries (FHI) has won a contract from Aboltiz Power Corporation worth $500m for the construction of a 300 MW power plant in Subic Boy, Philippines. FHI will supply the boiler, steam turbine,...

Vietnam.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
May 1, 2008... Vietnam: Tan Tan Group (ITA Group) is seeking investors for a $7.7bn project to build the 4400 MW Kien Luong Thermal Power Centre and Nam Du deep-sea port complex in the province of Kien Giang. Black & Veatch, FHDI Engineering Ltd and Power...

Canada.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... Canada: ENMAX Energy Corporation is to buy the 63 MW Kettles Hill win farm in southern Alberta from Creststreet Kettles Hill Windpower LP. The deal is worth $163m, and, according to ENMAX, the site has potential for another 77 MW of capacity.

Canada.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... Canada: Quebec-based AAER Inc has signed an agreement with AAR SAS and Valorem SAS to deliver its first 2 MW wind turbine to a project site in France at the end of this year. The order marks the company's first entry into the European market.

Chile.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... Chile: Endesa Chile, an affiliate of Spanish utility Endesa recently began the commercial operation of the combined-cycle San Isidro II facility. The CCGT plant is adding 360 MW to the country's national power grid.

Mexico.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... Mexico: The consortium building the 750 MW La Yesca hydroelectric project has secured $910m in longterm financing for the project. The consortium, headed by ICA, secured the syndicated loan from a group of banks led by the New York branch of...

St.Vincent.(AMERICAS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... St.Vincent: Interserve has been awarded two T&D contracts with St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited in the Caribbean. The contracts include the supply, installation and commissioning of two 33/11 kV substations, 20 km of overhead lines and...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA:Both the California Public Utility Commission and the California Energy Commission have given their approval for Wartsila to deliver a 163 MW gas fired power plant to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The $ 100m order was originally...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: Thermal Engineering International, a subsidiary of Babcock Power Incorporated, has been awarded a contract to supply the feedwater heaters for Longview Power's 695 MW supercritical coal fired mine-mouth generating facility in West...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: TransCanada is to buy a 2480 MW gas fired power plant located in New York, USA, from utility National Grid for approximately $2.9bn. The divestment is to satisfy regulators after National Grid's takeover of New York utility KeySpan.

North America.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... North America: American Superconductor Corporation has received orders for its D-VAR grid interconnection solution for two wind farms, one in the US and the other in Canada. The wind farms will produce over 200 MW of power to the North American...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: American Electric Power's (AEP) subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Company has issued a request for proposals, seeking long-term purchases of 65 MW from new renewable energy resources to be operational by 2012. It forms part of AEP's...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: Georgia Power has signed a ten-year contract with Georgia Waste to Energy Grove LLC and America's Waste To Energy to produce electricity generated by landfill waste. The power will come from the Cedar Grove gasification facility, which...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: Siemens Power Generation Incorporated has been awarded a major order for its 2.3 MW wind turbines by the Oregon utility, Portland General Electric Company. It will supply 65 turbines for the Biglow Canyon wind farm phase 2 and 76 units for...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: Southern California Edison has launched the country's largest solar call installation project, which will place 250 MW of advanced photovoltaics on the roofs of commercial building in southern California. The project will produce enough...

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: The Department of Energy has approached VRB Systems Incorporated to help modernize the United States' electricity grid, as part of a demonstration project that has been selected for federal funding.

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: The American subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, enXco has signed an agreement that covers the development and construction of a 99 MW wind farm for Wisconsin Public Service Corporation. The farm will comprise 66 1.5 MW GE turbines.

USA.(AMERICAS)
May 1, 2008... USA: Westinghouse Electric Company and its partner The Shaw Group have signed an EPC contract with Georgia Power to provide two Westinghouse AP 1000 nuclear power plants at the Alvin W. Vogtle site in Georgia.

Finland.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Finland: Power company TVO has applied for permission to build the country's sixth nuclear power plant at Olkiluoto.lt will be a 1600 MW facility that will go on-line in in 2011. The site is near two existing reactors and one that is under...

India.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... India: Engineering company Thermax has signed a contract for the use of Babcock & Wilson's Radiant subcritical pressure boiler technology.

Japan.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Japan: Wind turbine maker Komai Tekko is launching overseas sales, aimed mainly at developing regions. The first shipment of 300 kW turbines will be delivered to the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Portugal.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Portugal: Horizon Wind Energy, owned by Energias de Portugal, has ordered 95 units of the S88-2.1 MW wind turbine from Suzlon and 190 units in 2009.

Scotland.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... Scotland: The government has received a an application from Scottishpower to extend its Whitelee wind farm by 36 turbines. This would raise the project's capacity to 425 MW.

UK.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... UK: Tidal company Lunar Energy has signed a $1 bn deal with Korean Midland Power to create a giant 300-turbine, 300 MW wind farm off the coast of South Korea.

UK.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... UK: More than 5m people switched energy supplier in the UK in 2007, according to energy regulator Ofgem. The number has risen from 4.8m in 2006.

UK.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... UK: Services company Pyeroy Group has appointed Malcolm Hood to spearhead its growth in the nuclear decommissioning sector.

USA.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... USA: Lansdale, Pennsylvania based Neptune Chemical Pump Company has been acquired by the Dover Corporation's newly formed Pump Solutions Group. The terms of the transaction were not released.

USA.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... USA: JPMorgan Chase has agreed to invest $ 150m in AIM quoted wind turbine specialist Clipper Windpower. The investment will help with the manufacturing, delivery and commissioning of Clipper's 2.5 MW Liberty Turbine into the US market.

USA.(INTERNATIONAL)
May 1, 2008... USA: American Superconductor has licensed its proprietary Windtec WT1650 wind turbine design and manufacturing expertise exclusively to Ghodawat Industries of India for the Middle East, Southern Asia and Africa.

The Commission investigates.(COMPANIES)
May 1, 2008... The Commission investigates: The EC is examining-whether the new joint venture created by the Hungarian gas and oil concern MOL and the Czech utility CEZ will restrict the competition in Central Europe.

Russian sell-off.(COMPANIES)
May 1, 2008... Russian sell-off: Russia's former electricity monopoly Unified Energy Systems has auctioned off 49 per cent of UlyanovskEnergo to investment firm MSK Securities for 120m roubles ($5.1m).